Railway brake beam



Dec. 16, 1924- 1,519,764

s. A. cRoNE RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM Filed June 4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR; 452:76/ 6fm/VE.

Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STTES SETH A. GRNE, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAlr.

Application led June 4, 1924. Serial No. 717,693.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SETH A. CRoNn, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway BrakeBeams, of which the following is a specification.

The invention pertains to railway brake beams, and particularly to afour-point suspension therefor, and to guards extending lengthwise ofthe car truck and above the brake beams and cooperating' with therespective tramway bars or members of the fourpoint suspension forholding the beams captive, while at the same time permitting the beamsto have their requisite movements in the service application of thebrakes to and their release from the car wheels.

My invention comprises as one feature thereof, special tramway bars tobe engaged by the truss rod during the operation of the brake beam andspecial safety guard bars which extend over the brake beams and aredetachably connected at their outer ends to the outer ends of thetramway bars. The tramway bars and the safety guard bars, except attheir outer ends where the guard bars and tramway bars are securedtogether, are substantially disclosed in my pending application forLetters Patent Serial No. 701,009, filed March 22, 1924. The presentinvention resides in certain improvements on the constructions shown inmy aforesaid pending application, these improvements residing in specialmeans Ifor securing the tramway bars and safety guard bars to the springplank of the car truck and to the special construction hereinafterdescribed pertaining to the articulated ends of the tramway-bars andsafety guard bars.

In accordance with my present invention a novel support is providedbelow and secured to the spring plank for receiving the inner endportions of the tramway bars, this feature having for its particularobject the secure holding of said bars, without the use of rivetsextending through them, in very rigid position, whereby the bars areprevented from vibration or rattling while in service. y The supportbelow the spring plank for receiving the adjoining end portions of thetramway bars is also such as to permit of the endwise insertion thereinand withdrawal of the tramway bars from below the spring plank, it beingmy preference that the two tramway bars at each side of the truck beindependent of each other and insertable endwise at their inner ends,into the support provided by me below the spring plank for receivingthem. I also provide improved means yfor securing the central portionsof the safety guard bars which are preferably in one piece, at each sideof the truck, upon the spring plank. The present invention also providesan improved construction at the adjacent ends of the tramway bars andsafety guard bars whereby the bars at their joints or points ofarticulation are of very durable character and may be detachablyconnected together by transverse pins, which are afforded maximumbearing surfaces, due to the special construction of the adjacent endsof the tramway bars and safety guard bars.

The invention will be fully understood from th-e detailed descriptionhereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a portion of a car truck equippedwith the brakebeam features of my invention, the section being on thedotted line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig'. 2 is a transverse section, on a largerl scale, through a portionof the same, taken on the dotted, line 2- 2 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through a portion of the same,taken on the dotted line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. t is a corresponding section taken on the dotted line 4-4 of Fig.2;

Fig. 5 is a corresponding section, partly broken away, taken on thedotted line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a top view, partly broken away, of a car truck embodying thebrake beam features of my invention,

Fig. 7 is a detached top view of the supporting plate for the brake beamtramways;

Fig. 8 is a detached view of adjoining end portions of one tramway barand one safety4 guard bar, this figure being presented to illustratemore clearly the hinge constructions at said ends of said bars, and

Fig. 9 is a top view, partly broken away, illustrating a slightlymodified construction of the means for securing the central portion ofthe safety-guard bars upon the spring plan.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, 10 designates aportion of a wellknown channel-form of spring plank constituting a.portion of a car truck frame of usual type, and 11, 12 indicate portionsof inside hung trussed brake beams of customary type, each comprisingthe usual coinpression member 13, tension member 141, and strut 15.These brake beams are suspended by well-known pivoted hangers, notshown, and carry the brake shoes, not shown, as usual.

My invention does not involve any change in the brake beams, their shoesor their hangers, which form two-points of the suspension. l

My invention pertains more especially to the tramway bars 16, 17, whichare duplicated at opposite sides of the truck, as usual, and form twomeans or points of suspension for the brake beams, to the bar 18 securedto the spring plank and at its ends affording the guard members 19, 20,extending over the brake beams and detachably receivingat their outerends the outer ends of said tramway bars, said bar 18 beingl duplicatedat opposite sides of the truck, and to the means for securing the innerportions of the tramway bars and the central portions of the safety`guard bars to the spring plank of the car truck. A further feature ofthe invention resides in the sp-ecial construction of the outeradjoining ends of the tramway bars and safety guard members, ashereinafter explained.

The means for securing the inner end portions of the tramway bars 16,17, and the central portions of the safety guard bars 18 to the springplank, comprise a special support 21 below the spring plank for theinner end portions of the tramway bars and clamps 22 upon the springplank for securing the bars 18, said clamps 22 'and said support 21being secured to the spring plank by rivets 23 which extend through endportions of said clamps, the spring plank 10 and side portions of thesup-port 21, as clearly represented in Figs. 1, 3, 1 and 6, the fewnessof the rivets 23 employed, while affording adequate strength, being avery desiiable feature since they involve very little cutting` of thespring plank.

The support 21 is an integral met-al plate of about the saine length asthe width of the spring plank 10 and of suitable width to adequatelyreceive and support the inner end portions of two aligned tramway bars16, 17. The tramway bars are preferably of inverted shallow channelshape, as shown, and their inner end portions meet centrally below thespring plank, as indicated in Fig. 2. The support 21 is formed withparallel longitudinal shoulders 24.- at opposite sides of its centralportion, and these shoulders form supports and guides for the edges ofthe tramway, and in addition the support 21 at its ends is formed withupwardly projecting seats 25 (Fig. 5) which extend upwardly into thechannel formation of the tramway bars and engage the lower surface ofand act as supports for said bars. Each tramway bar is supportedadjacent to the outer edge of the spring plank by means of the seat 25at the outer end of the support 21, and each tramway bar along theentire length of that portion thereof disposed below the spring plank,is supported at opposite edges on shoulders 211. The support 21 isslotted at its central portion, as at 26, and at opposite ends of thisslot said support 21 is dished downwardly, as at 27, thereby aordingchambers 28 at the upper side of the support and downwardly extendingshoulders 29 adjacent to the ends of the slot 26, and above the slot 26and extending into the chambers 28 I provide a strong leaf-spring 30which is bowed upwardly and is centrally below the yadjacent inner endportions of the tramway bars 16', 17, as indicated iii Figs. 1 and 2.The spring 30 is of semi-elliptic order and has its curved end portions31 seated within the inner ends of the chambers 28 in the support 2l, asshown in Fig. 2. The insertion of the inner end portions of the ytramwaybars 16, 17 into the channel of the .support 21 and below the springplank 10 has the effect 0f depressing the central portions of the springfrom the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 to that shown bysolid lines in Fig. 2, thereby flexing said spring 30 and causing it tobind the adjacent end portions of the tramway bars upwardly against thelower surface of the spring plank, this provision of the spring 3()being to suitably hold the tramway bars in rigid relation to the springplank and to prevent Vsaid bars from vibrating o rattling. The saipport21 is of a -special construction shown and described, because of mypurpose toI adequately support the tramway bars in such manner that inuse they will be held rigidly and be prevented from vibration orrattling. A further 'purpose of the support 21 is to permit theconvenient endwise insertion of the inner end portions of the tramwaybars into place .below the spring plank, and also to permit of theremoval of the tramway bars from the spring plank whenever necessary,without disturbing the support 21 or the rivets 23, or necessitating anyoperations with .the .eX- ception of freeing the outer end of thetramway bar to be removed and pulling said bar from between the support21 and spring plank 10. I provide the slot 26 in the support 21 as ameans of enabling me to supply said spring 30 to the support 2-1 eitherbefore or after said support is secured to the spring plank by therivets l23.

The slot 26 also permits me to remove the spring 30, should the samebecome broken, from the support 21 and supply a new spring in placethereof to said support, the new spring being worked endwise over oneshoulder 29 of the support and along the adjacent chamber 28, andthereafter the other end of the spring being inserted through the otherend of the slot 26 and worked over the shoulder 29 of the other chamber28, the chambers 28 permitting such lengtlr wise movement of the spring30, during the insertion or withdrawal thereof, as to make it convenientto introduce or remove the spring 30 after the support 21 .has beenriveted to the spring plank.

The tramway bars 16, 17 are alike, and said bars extend longitudinally,one forwardly and the other rearwardly, below the brake beams 11, 12.Each tramway balr has a plain straight horizontal base section 32 and anup-wardly and outwardly inclined section 33 which serves as a supportand guide for the adjacent end portion of the truss rod 14. The tramwaybars are of channel shape in cross-section and have downwardly extendededge flanges and an upwardly curved web, whereby said bars are renderedstrong' and rigid and present rounded or transversely curved uppersurfaces to the truss rods.

The inclined sections 33 of the tramway bars are of the properinclination to guide the .truss rods in such manner that the brake shoesare correctly appli-ed to and retired from the wheels, and the rigidityof the tramway bars is such as to avoid uncertain sagging thereof underthe weight of the break beams.

The inner end portions of the base sections 32 of each aligned pair ofthe tramway bars 16, 17 abut against eachother, as shown in Fig. 2, andare closely held against the lower surface of the spring plank 10 bymeans of the shoulders 24 and seats or elevations 25 of the supportingplate 21, assisted preferably by the spring 30. The seats or elevations2.5 are at both ends of the supporting plate 21 and may be made of anydesired or permissible length. In the absence of the spring 30 the seatsor elevations 25 will extend the full length of the plate 21. The spring30 is, however, desirable as cushioning or tensioning means to preventvibration of the said base sections 32 against the lower surface of thespring plank 10. At opposite sides of the channel through the supportingplate. 21 for the base sections 32 of the tramway bars, said plate isformed with plain flanges 34 to engage the lower surface of the springplank 10 and also to receive the rivets 23. The ends of the supportingplate 21 are formed integrally with depending flanges 35, which extendthe full width of the plate 21 and add material strength thereto.

I preferably combine the four-point suspension features hereinbeforedescribed with the safety features afforded by the bars 18, so that thebrake-beams may be cradled between the tramway bars 16, 17 and thesafety-guard members 19, 20, as shown in Fig. 1. Each bar 18 is in onecontinuous piece and located above the tramway bars and in cross-sectionpreferably harmonizes with said tramway bars, being of inverted channelshape. The middle portion of each bar 18 is depressed to seat firmlyupon the spring plank 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and at the ends ofthis depressed middle portion ofsaid bar, the bar curves upwardly, as at36, and thence extends upwardly against and above the inclined ordiverging surfaces of the inner faces of the flanges 37 of the springplank 10, the end portions of the bar 18 thence 4extendinglongitudinally in opposite directions to provide the safety guardmembers 19, 20.

The bar 18, at each side of the truck, is secure-d upon the spring plank10 by means of the clamps 22 and rivets 23 hereinbefore referred to. Theclamps 22 transversely embrace the bar 18 at the ends of its depressedmiddle portion, and the side portions of said clamps directly engage theupper surface of the spring plank and receive the rivets 23. rIhe clamps22 at their outer ends curve upwardly, as at 37 (Fig. 2), to extend uponand embrace portions of the curved sections 36 of the bar 18, and thisfeature of the clamps 22 I deem to be of considerable importance ineffecting the firm securing of the bar 18 upon the spring plank andagainst the flanges 37 thereof, said portions 37 of the clamps making itunnecessary to rivet the bar 18 to said flanges.

The outer ends of the safety-guard members 19, 20 are respectivelydetachably se: cured to the outer ends of the tramway bars 16, 17 bymeans of removablel pins 38 and a special construction of the meetingends of said guard members and bars to receive said pins, which have ahead on one end and are adapted to receive a cotter key at the otherend. The outer end portions of the guard members 19, 2O curve downwardlyand are fiattened and also recessed endwise inwardly, as at 39 (Fig. 6),leaving two tongues which I curl upwardly and inwardly to form twosleeves or knuckles 40 (Figs. 6 and 8) to take the end portions of thepins 38. The outer end portions of the tramway bars 16, 17 are flattenedand turned upwardly and recessed at o posite edges to leave a centraltongue whicli I curl downwardly and inwardly to form a sleeve or knuckle41 matching and fitting between the aforesaid sleeves or knuckles 40, asshown in Fig. 6, and ref ceiving the middle portions of the pins 38. Thesleeves 40, 41 afford broad bearing surfaces for the pins 38 and providea conveniently formed and durable means, with the pins, for detachablyconnecting the guard members and tramway bars together.

The safety guard members 19, in addition to their other duties, aid inkeeping the tramway bars 16, 17 in fixed position, resisting endwisemovement of said bars and the sagging downwardly of said bars under theweight of `the brake-beams.

In assembling the several parts of the mechanism, the bar 18 and clamps22 may be applied upon the spring plank, and the supporting plate 21applied to the lower surface of the spring plank and the whole securedby means of the rivets 23, after which the tramway bars 16, 17 maybeforced endwise into the channel of said plate 21 and secured at theirouter ends to the outer ends of the safety-guard members 19, 20 by meansof the pins 38.

Whenever necessary either tramway bar may be detached from itscooperating safetyguard member and pulled from the plate 21, withoutdisturbing the bar 18, clamps 22, plate 21 or rivets 23, and with equalconvenience either tramway bar thus removedmay be returned to position.

The modification shown in Fig. 9 resides in providincr a single longplate clamp 42 as an equivalent for the two shorter clamps l 22, forsecuring the bar 18 upon the spring plan, said clamp 42 at its endshaving upwardly curved members 43 corresponding with the parts 37 ofsaid clamps 22.

Spring-planks or sand-planks of cartrucks vary in design and details,and hence I use the term spring-plank herein in a generic sense asapplying to spring planks generally.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A car-truck having inside hung trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor and means for supporting said bars at theiradjoining inner end portions from the spring plank, said meanscomprising a supporting plate secured to the spring plank and having alongitudinal channel adapted to receive the inner end portions of saidbars and a bowed spring housed within the plate and adapted to bind thebars against the spring plank.

2. A car-truck having inside hung trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor and means for supporting said bars at theiradjoining inner end portions from the spring plank, said meanscomprising a supportingl plate secured to the spring plank and having alongitudinal channel adapted to receive the inner end portions of saidbars and a bowed spring housed within the plate and adapted to bind thebars against the spring plank, and said plate being chambered in its endportions to freely confine the ends of the spring and permit thedownward flexing of the spring by the insertion of said b-ars into saidchannel.

3. A car-truck having inside hung trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor and means for supporting said bars at theiradjoining inner end portions from the spring plank, said meanscomprising a supporting plate secured to the spring plank and having alongitudinal channel adapted to receive the inner end portions of saidbars and a bowed spring housed within the plate and adapted to bind thebar-s against the spring plank, and said plate being chambered in itsend portions to freely confine the ends of the spring and permit thedownward flexing of the spring by the insertion of said bars in-to saidchannel, said plate also being open between said chambers to permit theremoval `and replenishing of the spring without .detaching the platefrom the spring plank.

4. A car-truck having inside hung trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor of inverted channel formation and means forsupporting said bars at their adjoining inner end portions from thespring plank, said means comprising a longitudinally channeledsupporting plate secured to the spring plank and adapted =to receive theinner end portions of said bars, said plate having, at the sides vof itschannel, longitudinal shoulders to receive the downwardly extended edgesof said bars andy therebetween raised or elevated portions to serve asseats for the lower surfaces of said bars.

5. A car-truck having inside hung' trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor of inverted channel formation and means forsupporting said bars at their adjoining inner .end portions from thespring plank, said means .comprising a longitudinally channeledsupporting plate secured to the spring plank and adapted to receive theinner end portions of vsaid bars, said plate having, at the vsides ofits channely longitudinal shoulders to receive the downwardly extendededges of said bars land therebetween raised or elevated portions toserve as seats for the lower surfaces. of said bars, and said platehaving. integrally therewith depending flanges at its ends and lateralflanges at its sides to engage the lower surface of the spring plank.

6. A .car-truck having inside' hung trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor vof inverted channel formation and means forsupporting said bars at their adjoining inner end portions from theyspring pl-ank, said means comprisim a longitudinally channeledsupporting plate secured to the spring plank and adapted lto receive theinner end portions of said bars and a bowed leaf-spring housed withinsaid plate and arranged to press said end portions against the springplank, said plate having, at the sides of its channel, longitudinalshoulders to receive the downwardly extended edges of said bars andtherebetween raised or elevated portions to serve as seats for the lowersurfaces of said bars.

7. A car-truck having inside hung trussed brake-beams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor of inverted channel formation and means forsupporting said bars at their adjoining inner end portions from thespring plank, said means comprising a longitudinally channeledsupporting plate secured to the spring plank and adapted to receive theinner end portions of said bars and a 'bowed leaf-spring housed withinsaid plate and arranged to press said end portions against the springplank, said plate having, at the sides of its channel, longitudinalshoulders to receive the downwardly extended edges of said bars andtherebetween raised or elevated portions to serve as seats for the lowersurfaces of said bars, and said plate being chambered in its endportions to freely confine the ends of th-e spring and permit thedownward flexing of the spring by the insertion of said bars into saidchannel 8. A car-truck having inside hung trussed brake-beams, alignedtramway suspension hars therefor of inverted channel formation and meansfor supporting said bars at their adjoining inner end portions from thespring plank, said means comprising a longitudinally channeledsupporting plate secured to the spring plank and adapted to receive theinner end portions of said bars and a bowed leaf-spring housed withinsaid plate and arranged to press said end portions against the springplank, said plate having, at the sides of its channel, longitudinalshoulders to receive the downwardly extended edges of said bars andtherebetween raised or elevated portions to serve as seats for the lowersurfaces of said bars, and said plate being chambered in its endportions to freely confine the ends of the spring and permit thedownward flexing of the spring by the insertion of said bars into saidchannel, said plate also being open between said chambers to permit theremoval and replenishing of the spring without detaching the plate fromthe spring plank.

9. A car-truck having inside hung brakebeams, aligned tramway suspensionbars therefor, means for supporting said bars from the spring plank, abar having a depressed middle portion secured upon the floor of thespring plank and thence to curving upwardly to and extending along andabove the flanges of said plank and thence extending longitudinally inopposite directions over said beams and tramway bars to form safetyguard members and means detachably connecting the outer ends of saidsafety guard members with the outer ends of said tramway bars, the meanssecuring said middle portion of the bar to the spring plank comprisingclamps extending transversely across said bar at the ends of said middleportion and riveted to the spring plank, said clamps at their outer endsbeing curved upwardly and engaging thereat the upwardly curved portionsof said bar adj acent to the flanges of the spring plank.

10. A car-truck having inside hung brakebeams, aligned tramwaysuspension bars therefor, means for supporting said bars from the springplank, a bar having a depressed middle portion secured upon the floor ofthe spring plank and thence curving upwardly to and extending along andabove the flanges of said plank and thence extending longitudinally inopposite directions over said beams and tramway bars to fo-rm safetyguard members and means detachably connecting the outer ends of saidsafety guard members with the outer ends of said tramway bars, saidconnecting means being transverse pins and sleeves formed on said outerends of said members and bars to receive said pins, the outer ends ofsaid guard members being flat and curved downwardly and recessed endwiseinwardly to leave two tongues which are curled into the sleeves on saidmembers, and the outer ends of said bars being flat and turned upwardlyand fashioned into sleeves to match and pass between the said sleeves onsaid guard members.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 3rd day of June, A. D. 1924.

SETH A. GRNE.

